Stowable boat ladder

ABSTRACT

A ladder used for recreational water activities is pivotally attached at one end to be swung by a user between a stowed position resting on a supporting platform such as boat deck or dock to a deployed use position extending downward at an edge of the platform with potential finger pinching hazards eliminated and at a convenient angle for use.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention is directed toward a boat ladder for recreational wateractivities which is pivotably or swingably attached to a supportingplatform such as a boat deck or a dock and which is stowed or storedwhen not in use by lying on the boat deck and is deployed for use byswinging it over the edge and downward from the boat deck into or towardthe water.

2. Description of the Prior Art

Ladders of the type with which this invention is concernedconventionally have a pair of elongated laterally spaced parallel rigidsupport members with a step or steps or rungs attached therebetween.Oftentimes the ladder is expandable so it can be lengthened by havingsections telescopically engaged with one another to provide additionalsteps or rungs for climbing into and or out of a boat or off or onto adock when the ladder is deployed for use. Pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/824729 by the same inventor as the instantapplication describes a boat ladder of this nature which is stowed orstored by lying on the boat deck and is deployed for use by sliding itoutward beyond the edge of the deck and pivotally swinging it downwardtoward or into the water. The present invention is a ladder which issimilarly stowed by resting it on the boat deck or dock or platform butis deployed for use by pivotally raising it from the stowed position andswinging it outward and downward over the edge of the boat deck or dock.A matter of concern in the recreational boat industry is safety. Aparticular concern is in the area of safety features on boat accessoriessuch as boat ladders and especially with regard to finger pinching whena boat ladder is being used.

An aim of the present invention is to minimize if not completelyeliminate the danger of finger pinching that may occur when swinging theladder between the stored and deployed positions or when using theladder to climb up or down.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A pair of channeled brackets or gudgeons are latterally spaced from oneanother on a boat deck or other supporting platforms and each of theladder longitudinal support members is pivotally attached at one end toan end of a respective gudgeon at about the outer edge of the boat deckso that the ladder can be raised from its stowed position and swungupward and then outward and downward over the deck edge when deployedfor use. Each of the ladder support members is covered at the pivotedend with a cap made of some suitable plastic material. The cap servesmultiple functions. For one, it covers the somewhat sharp end of thesupport member and, for another, it fills the space between the supportmember and the sides of its associated channeled gudgeon to eliminateany space in that area which otherwise is a potentially dangerous areafor finger pinching. In addition, the cap provides a glide surfacebetween the support member and the gudgeon when the ladder is pivoted.Also, the caps have an attached rigid plate or band which operates inconjunction with stops on the gudgeons to hold the ladder at the desireddeployed angle. As a further safety feature, in the area of the pivotconnection an elongated or enlarged gap or opening in the bottom plateof the gudgeon is formed to minimize or eliminate danger to the user'sfinger when the ladder is pivotally swung or is being used to climb intoor out of the boat.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a top view of an embodiment of the invention showing a ladderin the stored or stowed position;

FIG. 2 is top view of an embodiment of the invention showing the ladderdeployed for use;

FIG. 3 is a plan or front view of a deployed ladder;

FIG. 4 is a side partial breakaway perspective view of a deployedladder.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

Although the following describes the invention as used on a boat itshould be understood that the description apples equally as well to adock or other supporting platforms that might utilize a ladder of thisnature for recreational water activities. Conventionally a boat ladder10 has a pair of spaced apart elongated rigid support members 11 with astep or rung 12 attached therebetween. The ladder can be made expandableby extensions telescopically engaged in the support members 11 toprovide additional steps or rungs 12. A pair of laterally spaced apartbracket members or gudgeons 13 are fixed in some convenient andconventional fashion, such as by bolts through openings 20, to the topof a deck 14 of a boat, shown in partial dashed line form. In the stowedor stored position, as illustrated in FIG. 1, ladder 10 rests in part ondeck 14 and on gudgeons 13. Gudgeons 13 are mounted on deck 14 so thattheir outer ends are located just beyond the outer edge of deck 14. Theends of the ladder support members 11 where they are pivotally coupledto gudgeons 13 are covered over with a cap 15. Caps 15 are preferablymade of high density polyethylene. Each of the gudgeons 13 has a bottomplate 16 and a pair of laterally spaced sidewalls 17 extending upwardfrom base 16 forming a channeled member and in the stowed or storedposition each of the ladder support members 11 rests in part within thechannel of a respective gudgeon. The sidewalls 17 of the gudgeons 13 areformed with a pair of spaced apart raised sections or ears 17A at oneend which can be designated as the outer end. Ladder 10 is pivotallyattached by pivot pin 19 extending between the ears 17A of each gudgeon13 and passing through an associated support member 11 whereby theladder 10 can be swung as desired between the rest or stowed position onthe boat deck, as shown in FIG. 1, to the deployed position extendingover the edge of the deck and downward into or toward the water, asshown in FIG. 2, and FIG. 3. Cap 15 fills the space between the earmember 17A and the associated support member 11 thereby eliminating anyhazardous finger pinching area when the user is deploying the ladderoutward for use or swinging it back in for storage or using it to climbinto or out of the boat. Also cap 15 provides a glide surface betweenthe metal elements of the ears 17A and support member 11 to prevent themetal pieces from grinding or scraping against one another.

As a further safety feature, the opening 21 in the bottom plate 16 ofgudgeon 13 which allows the ladder to be swung between the stowed anddeployed positions is significantly enlarged thereby eliminating anotherpotential finger pinching hazard.

As a further utilitarian feature embedded or in some suitable fashionsecurely attached to Caps 15 are rigid transverse bands or plates 23 anda pair of rigid stop members 24 are formed or in some fashion suitablyattached to the interior of the gudgeon side walls 17 at about ears 17A.Band 23 and stop members 24 are located so that when the ladder 10 isdeployed as it reaches the desired angle for deployment, plates or bands23 contact the associated stop members 24 to hold the ladder at thedesired deployed angle down from the boat deck. Since this stoppingarrangement is located inward from the deployed ladder there is nofinger pinching danger to the user when he or she deploys the ladder foruse or uses the ladder to climb in or out of the boat.

1. An extendable stowable boat ladder, comprising: a) a boat ladderhaving a pair of laterally spaced rigid elongated ladder support memberswith at least one rung attached therebetween; b) a pair of laterallyspaced rigid gudgeons fixedly mounted on a boat deck; c) each of saidgudgeons having a bottom wall for resting on the boat deck and a pair ofsidewalls extending upward from each side of said bottom wall; d) eachof said ladder support members having a cap fixedly attached at one end;e) each of said ladder support members pivotally attached to arespective one of said gudgeons by a pivot pin extending between saidgudgeon sidewalls at about the capped end of said support members, forswinging the ladder between a stowed position resting on a supportplatform and a deployed position over an edge of the support platform;f) said cap filling the space between the gudgeon side walls and thesupport member and providing a glide surface between the gudgeon sidewalls and the ladder support member.
 2. The extendable stowable boatladder as described in claim 1 wherein each of said gudgeons has anextended finger relief cutout area in its bottom wall at about the pivotend.
 3. The extendable stowable boat ladder as described in claim 1.wherein said gudgeons and said ladder support members are made of metaland said caps are made of plastic material to provide a glide surfacebetween the metal parts.
 4. The extendable stowable boat ladder asdescribed in claim
 1. further including: a transverse rigid bandattached to said cap and rigid stop members attached to the interior ofsaid gudgeon side walls, said band resting against said stop memberswhen said ladder is in the deployed position.